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April 21, 2007

G16: Red Sox 7, Yankees 5

Terry Francona had shown that he understands that he may need his closer in the 8th inning rather than hooking his wagon to a lesser arm and "saving" Papelbon for the 9th. But what would Tito do if the game was on the line in the 7th inning? Is he truly on board with Jamesian bullpen usage?

David Ortiz's three-run home run in the 4th inning gave Boston a 7-4 lead that Josh Beckett carried into the 7th. He needed only five pitches to retire Nieves and Cabrera, but he gave up a single to Jeter. Abreu was up and if he got on, it would bring Slappy to the plate as the potential tying run. (Okajim and Donnelly had been up for a little bit.) Beckett pitched carefully to Abreu, but walked him (bcbfbb).

I'm cool with leaving Beckett (at 102 pitches) in to face Slappy (2-for-12 against him with 0 HR and 3 K). Ball 1, then two low pitches, one called a strike, the other a ball. Then Rodriguez lined a single to right, bringing Abreu home.

There was no sign of Papelbon through any of this. If the Slappy AB wasn't the most important point of the game, then Giambi at the plate right now was.

So Francona did not go to his best arm at the highest-leverage moment in the game, but he did hand the ball to Okajima. I'm guessing, but it seems like Francona believes that Okajima is the 2nd best pitcher in the bullpen. He got the call to save the game last night and he was brought in with the tying runs aboard today.

He didn't use Papelbon until the 9th, but recent evidence shows that Tito understands and is applying intelligent and progressive thought to his bullpen choices. This makes me very happy.

28 comments:

Yesterday's delicious score: Sox 7, Yankees 6.This morning, buried in a Globe column, is an item noting that yesterday was also the 95th anniversary of the first game played in Fenway Park. It was the Red Sox vs. The New York Highlanders, now the Yankees. The score? Boston 7, New York 6. How about THAT!

Redsock said:So Francona did not go to his best arm at the highest-leverage moment in the game, but he did hand the ball to Okajima.

I think that was more about the lefty-lefty matchup...

I never thought he should bring Pap in that situation , actually never crossed my mind....

Sooner or later he has to trust somebody else in that situation, i.e. .last night......

My buddy is a yankee fan and also a high school softball coach, and he lost a tough one last night......He calls this morning and tells me he doens't feel as bad after watching Torre manage that game last night.....He mentioned Tito managed the game like it was April 20th not October 20th.he also asked how many games does Rivera have to blow to the red sox in the 8th inning at Fenway until Torre relizes it doesn't work.....

Would be happier if our starters weren't giving up 5 runs against these guys but as long as the team keeps putting up W's who am I to complain.

Not sure if you guys saw the Okajima interview at boston.com . I particulary liked this part of it:"Then you faced red-hot A-Rod. What were you thinking?I was thinking, I can't let him hit a home run."

4.0, 2.55 ERA through 4 starts? Here's hoping that we've seen the last of Josh LaLoosh, and the long-awited evolution of Beckett from pea-brained thrower to a more prescient pitcher.

He deserved a better fate in the 7th; even that dipshit McCarver commented that Beckett was squeezed by Davidson on the tailing inside fastball he threw to Slappy on B3 that should have been a K looking. How does he not get that pitch?!

What John Farrell has done with Beckett (at least in the short term) is nothing short of impressive. While you always have to give credit to Tek for the way he manages a game, Beckett's new-found willingness to throw the breaking ball in what a year ago would have been soley fastball counts is a wondrous sight to see.

As redsock once opined on Wade Miller, the movement on some of Nuke's curveballs has been absolutely pornographic. He seems to have found some brains to go along with his cojones, a formidable combination with an arm that powerful.

If success breeds confidence, and confidence in turn breeds success, let's hope Beckett sticks with this early season plan. If so, the contributions of John Farrell could end up transcending those of any of the on-field acquisitions that the team made over the winter.